GAME REPORT FOR STORM OVER ARNHEM

Game Description

Storm Over Arnhem was the first in Avalon Hill's Impulse series games.
It was designed by Courtney Allen who also designed the innovative Up
Front system and was published in 1981. The design was so successful
for AH that the same system was used in the follow-on games of Thunder
at Cassino, Turning Point: Stalingrad and Breakout: Normandy. Peter
Perla used a variation of the game system for Spearhead's The Bloodiest
Day (Antietam).

Storm Over Arnhem is an area movement game of the British Red Devil
paratroopers and attached units trying desperately to hold the
bridgehead at Arnhem for 4 days from the larger German assaulting
force. It is 8 turns long and features Allen's innovative impulse
system where the players alternate impulses during which they can
either fire or move groups of units located together. When both
players pass sequentially (choose not to move or fire any units), the
turn ends.

The mapboard is graphically striking, consisting of 30 full-colour
areas surrounded by five zones (A-E) representing the outlying regions
around the town. The units are mostly platoons in size and each turn
is 12 hours.

Victory points are gained only by the German player for holding the 6
core VP areas and for capture of some initial British-held areas before
the conclusion of Turn 3 (to preclude an abandonment of all but the
core VP areas by the British player!) Overall, the British player
is the strategic defender, the German player the attacker. The number
of VPs garnered by the German after 8 turns indicates the winner and
margin of victory.

Details of this PBEM Game

This is Cliff's first SoA game. I have played two incomplete PBEM
games, neither getting past the second turn. In my first two aborted
games, I found the Series Replay of a SoA game in Generals V19#1 &
V19#2 very helpful. Cliff has read these as well!

We are using the Danish Dieroller (dice@danpost4.uni-c.dk) to generate
the die rolls for the game.

Events so far

British Setup
The initial setup for both sides is quite constrained. Coloured dots
are present on the British units and map areas to indicate where units
may be placed. As well, all of the British VP areas must contain at
least three units. One of the variable areas is #11 which extends into
the German starting area. I started one of my two 6-X-1 AT Guns here
to get a possible shot at any armour in adjacent areas. I also have a
fairly heavy force in area 7, 2 platoons of A Co (6 units) and the A Co
HQ.

German Setup
The German setup is constrained by the fact that no more than 5 SS
units and 3 SS armour units may be placed in any single area. This
ensures that the initial German force is quite dispersed. Of particular
importance is the location of the 10 Rec HQ which can call in 3
different artillery strikes. Cliff placed this unit in area 10, a less
aggressive placement as it is only adjacent to area 11. A more
aggressive placement would have been in area 15 for example.

Turn 1
There were no random events this turn. Since the British player starts
with the Tactical Advantage and the setups are done simultaneously, there
is often a free-for-all in the first couple of impulses as the players
blast away at revealed targets of opportunity. For example, there was a
juicy 6-3-10 in Area 14 adjacent to my AT Gun in Area 11. So for my first
impulse I blasted away at it at a 6:4 (Attack Value: Defense Value)
but only got 1 Casualty Point (CP) forcing it to retreat to Area 25.
Cliff then pounded away with his superior artillery for a few impulses
with little effect. In impulse 16, the Bohlt 3rd Company (9x3-5-5) moved
from Zone A to Area 8 to apply some pressure along the river followed by
most of the other training company (6x3-5-5 + the 2nd Co HQ) moving from
Zone B to Area 15 in impulse 18. Satisfied with his moves, Cliff passed
and I quickly passed as well ending Turn 1 in 21 impulses.

Turn 2
The Random Events gods are kind to Cliff in Turn 2! A DR of 4 is rolled,
modified to a 5 as I still hold the Tactical Advantage. Cliff maxes out
the dr to get 3x3-5-5 HzrKG reinforcements placed committed in Zone E.
I decide discretion is the better part of valour and pull all troops
(1x2-8-4, 1x4-7-5,1xAT Gun) out of 11 to 6. The AT Gun only has a
movement of 1 so it is easy for it to be pinned and unable to move.
Cliff uses his artillery right off the bat and gets 2 1CP results which
I cover by retreating single platoons back from the front line. In
Impulse 10 Cliff scores a good result firing 9:9 (11:6 DR) from 15 to 16
and scoring 5CPs! I kill a 2-8-5 Co HQ and retreat 2x4-7-5 from 16 -> 17.
A battle for control of 11 ensues. In Impulse 12 Cliff moves a 2-6-5
in from Zone A. I retreat it on a 1CP result from 6 in Impulse 13.
Cliff moves another 2-6-5 in from Zone B on Impulse 14 and follows up
with a big move of 3x3-5-5 moving from 8 -11 -16 to take advantage of
my losses in Impulse 10. I fire back at them with 3x4-7-5 still in
16 and get 6CP eliminating 2 of them. Cliff continues to apply pressure
building up an SS presence in areas 11 and 8. I push back but am
unable to prevent Cliff's foothold. Our units exhausted, action shifts
momentarily to areas 24 & 26. Cliff moves 3x3-5-5 1/1 into area 24
and 3x3-5-5 2/6 into Area 28. I KIA 1x3-5-5 in 24 and cause another
to retreat but Cliff's objectives of moving adjacent to my units
is being achieved. Flushed with success, Cliff tries a very
aggresive move in Impulse 38 bringing 3x4-6-6 + 1x3-3-10 from 12
to 6! This shows the importance of area 11. If occupied, it
denies the German player the ability to attack the British inner VP
areas. Rather than fire at them, I move 3x4-7-5 in from area 4
to try and take them out in Close Combat. Cliff brings in two
armoured cars (1x3-4-10, 1x3-3-10) to stiffen the area in Impulses
42 & 44. The turn winds down with fire exchanged in areas 24 & 6.
The only notable result is a 7CP result for me on area 24
which KIAs 2x3-5-5 and forces a third to retreat to 26. This bodes
well for me when Close Combat rolls around. Cliff passes on Impulse
62 and I agree, passing on Impulse 63.

In Close Combat, Cliff surprises me in Area 24, eliminating BOTH
4-7-5 C/7 in the area, even after I ask for a reroll! :( Demoralized,
the British platoons don't even take any with them. Cliff will get
2VP here for the Perimeter Bonus removal by Turn 2. In Area 16, Cliff
eliminates 2x4-7-5. I take the automatic kill on the 6-3-10 it's
one of the most dangerous units on the board but miss on the
screening attack. Area 6 is a wash as Cliff eliminates 1x4-7-5 and I
take out the 3-3-10 9th Recon armoured car with a AT Gun shot.

So, after Turn 2, Cliff has garnered 4VP for Perimeter Bonus removals
in Areas 11 & 24. Next turn, he may earn 1VP for removal of any
other Perimeter Bonus markers then they are removed and he will have to
earn VPs the hard way! ;)

Turn 3

I have a full six units in the Reformed Unit box so I receive a single
3-6-3 which I place in Area 5. The Random Event roll is a 7 minus 1 for
Cliff holding the Tactical Advantage which results in no reinforcements
for either side. Cliff hols the T.A so he starts with an all-out attack
from area 8 to area 7. My units can not retreat here as enemy units
occupy all adjacent areas, so all losses must be taken as casualties.
He scores 7CP too and I eliminate 2x4-7-5 A/1 and 1x2-8-5 A Co HQ. That
hurts. On Cliff's Impulse 3, he scores another 7CP with artillery on area
17. I eliminate 1x3-6-5 Fd Amb, 1x3-7-5 Tp.B and retreat 1x4-7-5 C/9 to
area 5. The British forces are reeling! My AT Gun kills a 3-4-10
Armoured Car in area 6 in impulse 4; Cliff responds with a 1CP retreat of
1x4-7-5 to area 12 from area 11 forcing it to the outside because of
the retreat priorities while I eliminate 1x4-6-6 LR/6 in area 6 in my
impulse 6. The fighting is close and ferocious! Cliff finally gives up
the TA on impulse 7 when his artillery fails to score a hit on area 17
again. It's a good call as the reroll causes 4CP and I eliminate 1x4-7-5
C/8 and retreat another 4-7-5 C/8 to area 5 which is becoming my
recovery/reserve area. I hand the TA back on impulse 9 when Cliff gets
yet another 7CPs. This time the good choice was mine as his reroll has no
effect. Phew, dodged a bullet in area 11 there!. Things settle down
a bit through the next few impulses. Cliff has a lot of NE so I Pass for
my impulse. The TA changes hands a couple more times and in all cases the
subsequent reroll has no effect. This is unusual as with-holding the TA
from your opponent is generally a stronger strategy in the long run.
I attempt to use my artillery on area 29 in impulse 26 but my access dr
fails. In impulse 29, Cliff scores 4CP on area 6 eliminating 1x4-7-5 A/3
and retreating another 4-7-5 A/3 back to area 5. Cliff starts moving his
forces up now into the holes created by his fire attacks; 3x4-6-6 AR/3
advance from 15 - 11 - 6 and my 2-8-4 2 Para HQ decides not to face them
alone in close combat and retreats to area 5 as well. Impulse 35 sees
another 3x4-6-6 LR/5 join the AR/3 platoon in area 6. More see-sawing and
positioning occurs and action moves to the northern sector where Cliff
tries to put pressure on areas 23 & 24. I try a couple of times with
single 5-8-5 units in area 23 against committed units in area 24 (impulses
56, 58) with no luck. It's Cliff's turn to pass as I then make a couple of
futile attempts to dislodge the 3x3-5-5 2/6 units Cliff moved in in
impulse 59. I finally score big in impulse 64 as I burn the TA on a
reroll and score 8CP eliminating all 3x3-5-5 2/6 in area 23. We pass
consecutively on impulses 65 & 66. The fire/movement impulses are over
and we move to close combat in areas 24, 16 and 6. In 24, the lone HQ is
a lost cause and is automatically eliminated and doesn't take anything
with it. In 16, Cliff screens his HQ and 4-5-8 PKzfw III but fails to kill
anything, I eliminate 2 of the 3-5-5 2/5 screening force though. Lastly in
Area 6, the AT gun kills the 3-4-10 AC Co and I bag 1x4-6-6 while Cliff
eliminates the entire RASC platoon (3x3-6-5). However, no Perimeter Bonus
or VP areas are solely German held so no VPs for Cliff this turn, the
score holds at 4VP. The Perimeter Reduction bonus markers are now removed
from areas 3,6,7 & 16 and Cliff will have to earn any further VPs by
taking and holding the core VP areas.

Turn 4

Summary& Analysis

Turn 1
Turn 1 typically consists of the scattered German units trying to form
up into larger assault groups for a Turn 2 attack on some of the initially
British-held perimeter areas. If successfully held solely by German units
at the end of Turn 2, they are worth a one-time award of 2VP each. (even
if the British player successfully counterattacks in later turns).
Cliff looks like he will be going after Areas 7 and 11.

Turn 2
Turn 2 is a Night turn with reduced movement point costs for entering
enemy-occupied areas. This is a tailor-made chance for the German to close
with the British troops in order to open a large offensive on Turn 3.
Cliff does very well this turn, bagging 2VP for Area 11 (I had given this
one up) but also surprisingly taking 2VP for Area 24 as well. I even
used the TA to prevent this to no avail.

Turn 3
Turn 3 sees a large push on the eastern edge of the map as Cliff
eliminates units in area 7, consolidates area 11 and battles for areas
6 and 16. A late thrust at area 23 is only parried when I score 8CP
eliminating the 3x3-5-5 units assigned this task. No VP gain which is
good so we move on to Turn 4.